Kim Hyo-joo tied for second place in the second round of the Chevron Championship (total prize money of $8 million), the first major tournament of the U.S. LPGA Tour season, and entered the competition for victory.
Kim Hyo-joo tied three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under 71 on the second round of the second day of the competition at The Club Carlton Woods Jack Nicklaus Signature Course (par 72, 6,911 yards) in Woodlands, Texas on the 26th (Korea time). Kim Hyo-joo, who recorded a 6-under 138 in the middle, continued her competition for the top two days in a row, tied for second place, one stroke behind the lone lead.
Liu Yan (China) maintained the lead for the second consecutive day with 7-under 137, and Saigo Mao (Japan), Lindy Duncan and Sarah Schmelzel (USA) were tied for second place by one stroke along with Kim Hyo-joo.
Kim Hyo-joo, who is trying to win a major championship for the first time in 11 years since the 2014 Evian Championship, said, "It rained yesterday, and I felt like I played on another course today. Still, the score was not that bad."
Kim Hyo-joo, who started the game on the 10th hole (par 4), reduced one stroke in the first nine holes, and in the second half, she offset her bogeys on the 2nd and 7th holes with birdies on the 4th and 8th holes, maintaining her under-par score with stable play. All three birdies recorded by Kim Hyo-joo on the day are characterized by par-5 holes.
Yoo, who was tied for the lead along with Ryu Yan in the first round, lost two shots on the day and moved down one spot to tie for sixth (5-under 139) along with Choi Hye-jin. Yoo lost one shot when a short par putt hit the hole at the third hole (par 3), and struggled in the first half including double bogey at the fifth hole (par 4). Yoo, however, made consecutive birdies at the eighth and ninth holes to rebound, leaving a possibility of leading competition in the third round.
Meanwhile, Ryu Yan, the leader, received cheers from galleries as he recorded an albatross with a 7-iron shot straight into the hole cup with 170 yards left on the 8th hole (par 5).
Nine of the 132 players did not finish the second round due to sunset. Lexy Thompson of the U.S., who said she would selectively participate in the competition from this year after ending her career as a full-time player after the last season, is tying for 11th with Lee So-mi at 4-under 140.
Among other Korean players, Ko Jin-young tied for 25th with a 2-under 142 and Yoon Na-na tied for 32nd with a 1-under 143. World No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA), who shot five over par in the first round and was pushed out of the top 100, was on the verge of missing the cut by hitting two over par in the first three holes on the day, but she later scored six birdies and made a dramatic advance to the third round. Korda, who shot a 1-over 145, tied for 46th and is likely to pass the cut by two over par. 메이저놀이터